Emile Ward

#linkedin-love - May 27, 2025 at 10:15 AM

Hi all, I'll be attending TL;DR's Summer Social on Thursday 19th June - would be great to connect with other CPG and DTC brands there - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dlechapman_first-panelist-reveal-for-the-cpg-summer-ac[…]m=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAQwObABrQFbDuRezczIYbBtqKMhf9C-fCg

#growth-and-marketing - April 10, 2025 at 08:10 AM

Morning everyone, anyone have success with backlinking? I'm making progress but it's time consuming and hit or miss depending on other website's authority ranking. Anyone used a good service or person to execute an effective backlinking strategy?

#ask-the-community - December 05, 2024 at 08:38 AM

We're selling wines and spirits. Digital PR is expensive but I'm using free tools to get editorial coverage. The only problem is that it's very sporadic. I'd like to use a method that can achieve a few backlinks every month. I'll look into broken link building. Anything else you'd recommend?

#ask-the-community - December 04, 2024 at 04:39 PM

Hi, anyone got experience building backlinks? Not by using PR or paying a service to do it, but doing it properly?

#ask-the-community - December 04, 2024 at 10:20 AM

or Phil Hails-Smith from Joelson?

#ask-the-community - December 04, 2024 at 10:19 AM

Have you spoken to Rowena Tolley at Kilburn & Strode?

#ask-the-community - December 03, 2024 at 10:27 AM

Thank you, will check them out

#ask-the-community - December 02, 2024 at 04:35 PM

What Data Analytics tool would you recommend for a Shopify store? I'm looking to get a better understanding on CLTV, CAC, ROAS and customer journey

#ask-the-community - November 27, 2024 at 04:59 PM

Hey, at Friarwood, we have some wines on 60/50/40/30% off - great way of stocking up before the festive season - www.friarwood.com

#growth-and-marketing - November 05, 2024 at 09:05 AM

I signed us up for the platform because we can't do TikTok shop due to alcohol restrictions. It involves telling your audience to do it, which if you're small and have older customers, won't work. It works if you are Gen Z focused and have a product that lends itself well to trends like beauty.

#ask-the-community - November 05, 2024 at 08:47 AM

Hi Mitesh, I sold my business in 2020 and it was a trade sale. Each business is different so will only comment on my own experience but you know your business better than anyone else.

To Brendan's points. 1. We used a broker because we weren't sure where to start and thought having a third party negotiator would be helpful to get the best price. Ultimately, they got us a few meetings but I sourced our buyer because I knew the landscape better. However, we still had to pay the broker a success fee. So, my advice is to make sure you are confident they can bring a deal to you or first start with your own research and discussions. 2. Yes, put a timeline in place but sometimes, by being open to a sale, you will find that it takes time for the news to travel to the right people. A buyer might be on a different timeline than others so my view was to be open for a whole year, then reassess. We started discussions in November, and sold in June the following year. 3. Yes, but also be prepared to understand your buyer's business and run scenarios as to how your business could integrate and create synergies with other departments. We sold our business on the idea that we could improve their business by X multiple over X years, not because our business numbers were hugely attractive. 4. Absolutely get a tax accountant right from the start. 5. Definitely have a walk away position in your mind, but also be flexible in how a deal could work out, maybe it's a lower upfront amount but bigger payments throughout the years, a tax accountant can tell you what's most advantageous. Selling a business is a negotiation, you won't get everything you want or it won't happen.

My number one piece of advice if you get to an exit/sale is to make sure that the integration into the business is extremely well thought out and planned. Executives leave, business focus changes, synergies don't always spark immediately but if you integrate quickly and efficiently, then it should work. We didn't and we became a team within the business and it was very hard to recover and get anything done with the wider business.

#discount-codes - October 14, 2024 at 08:05 AM

Hey everyone, if you're ever in need of wine, happy to offer a discount to Friarwood.com - using code 'VENICE' for 20% off some stunning wines.

#introductions - August 23, 2024 at 06:30 PM

Thanks - happy to connect on Linkedin as well https://www.linkedin.com/in/emileward/

#introductions - August 23, 2024 at 11:03 AM

Hi everyone and thanks @Patrick Crowley for the invite. My name is Emile Ward and I was the founder of an e-commerce business called Gin Kiosk, which I ran and grew for 7 years before selling to the second largest drinks wholesaler in the UK. I now advise drinks startups in e-commerce. Great to be here!